Find Me In The Steam Room

January 22, 2018

STEAM ROOM VS. SAUNA

A few months ago I joined Equinox and I started using their steam room facility. I had a pretty good idea of the benefits of using a steam room, but never really FELT the benefits until recently. My curious self did some research to understand the real difference between the two. Below are my findings!

SAUNA

1. The sauna uses dry heat and it's great to sweat out some toxins, but I don't feel it offers as many health benefits as a steam room does.

2. Although I did read in a few articles that it helps with relaxation and some cases it has been shown to help with depression.

3. Saunas improve the lining of the blood vessels, allowing for more productive blood flow to organs like the heart and brain (which can help with your memory.)

4. Sauna's also help you recover faster after an intense workout

5. Last thing I read was that sauna's could help release tension headaches. Good to know.

STEAM ROOM

2. When aldosterone is released from sitting in the steam room, it can help lower high blood pressure helping you feel more relaxed.

3. Reduces stress by lowering your cortisol levels.

4. Steam rooms create an environment that warms the mucous membrane and encourages deep breathing. As a result, using one can help break up congestion inside your sinuses and lungs.

5. Great for the skin, burns calories, helps fight infections.

WHY I LOVE THE STEAM ROOM

Recently I was so beyond sick and whatever I had seemed to linger in a lot of the people around me. This was the first time in a really long time that I tried to fight this flu/cold on my own and without the help of a doctor or antibiotics.

I did two full days of bed rest then I went to the gym and tried to sweat it out - that actually didn't work I felt awful after. Good news though, the next day I went to the gym just to use the steam room and I swear that's what helped the most with my congestion. I did went back a few days in a row and whatever infection I had that seemed to linger in everyone else was kicked in less than 5 days for me.

An amazing bonus of it all was that my skin felt incredibly fresh because my pores were so open and I was able to let me products really soak in after.